OTR must haves for new drivers?

I'm old school! I carried baling wire, duct tape and a pair of vice grips. Also a couple of screw drivers and W-D 40.

 

Anytime someone asks this, you end up with a mile long list of "necessary" items. My recommendation is start with the minimum and you'll figure out pretty quickly what you need to get. Stop at Walmart to pick up things you decide you need along the way. Otherwise, you'll end up with truck full of things you never use.

Outside of bedding, clothes, and personal items, the minimum set of things I wouldn't be without are: gloves, 3lb hammer (for both thumping tires and those times when something just needs a good whack), vice grips, duct tape, pocket knife, screwdriver with the various changeable bits, spare glad-hand seals (can probably get from your company shop), air gauge, dash cam, and a paper atlas.

I have a lot more than that I've collected over time, but you may not need those same things. For example, I wouldn't start with any more than those basic tools above. No company hiring new drivers is going to expect you to fix the truck yourself. As you gain experience, you'll figure out what other tools would be useful to help avoid having to call for service. I went a year before even buying a truck GPS. I just used the company provided gps and trucker path on the phone before that.

 

1. survival supplies:
Potable water.
Food.
A heavy blanket for warmth in case of a breakdown in cold weather.
Emergency medical info w/ blood type, allergens, contact numbers, and info about any DNR / advanced directive / POA you may have.
First aid kit, if your employer doesn't already have one on the truck.
Anything necessary in an emergency medical situation (epi-pen, fruit juice if diabetic or hypoglycemic, tourniquet, etc.).

2. supplies to make life safer & easier on the road:
fuses & a fuse puller or needlenose pliers, bulbs, gladhand seals & a flathead screwdriver, a spare hub plug, a valve stem core tool, and superglue (to seal a leaking punctured tire in an emergency - yes, it's redneck AF but it works).
An atlas & a compass.
A flashlight & spare batteries.
gloves (kudos to you for already having these)
A fifth wheel puller.
Baby wipes, paper towels, and baby/body powder.
Basic hand tools.
An ice scraper.
Glass cleaner.
A tire gauge.

3. supplies specific to your type of trucking:
padlock (dry van, reefer, or tanker)
tin snips & bolt cutter for seals (dry van, reefer, or tanker)
jumper cables long enough to connect the truck's batteries to the reefer unit (if reefer)
winch bar (if flatbed or car hauler)
secondary locking devices, spare gaskets, spare caps & plugs, pipe wrench, metal bucket (any tanker)
rubber mallet, pin punch, wire brush (pneumatic)
a big jug of white vinegar (if hauling lime)
spanner wrench or J-wrench, brass hammer (LPG bottle)
shovel (crude oil tanker or end-dump).

 

You won't know what you need until you get in your truck and start driving. Some people have never ever once owned an ink pen, and some people bring a conex box full of piston rings, rubber seals, mudflaps, and bearing grease, etc. Buy what you need at Walmart as you need it.

 

I did flatbed, seen a guy dragging his rolled up tarps around with one of these. I thought, what a great idea! That sure beats trying to do the same with your fingers through the D-rings or whatever.

 

They're also handy for removing the lids of the fill wells when hauling fuel.

 

The only thing I didn't see is a duffle bag large enough to fit ALL your stuff so when your truck breaks down and you have to fly home or take a bus, you can pack your stuff up and leave the truck... Personally, I don't have more in my truck than I can pack up in my duffle.

 

Vaseline

 

UPS and fed ex and the post office still ship boxes
I ship stuff all the time to far away job sites , we normally use coolers to ship it in , since they are much more rugged than cardboard
Boxes

 

A cat is a must have.